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Abusing river access

Deputies were called to the Wolcott boat ramp on the Eagle River Aug. 18 after a man drove his truck into the river, headed upstream.

The truck was stuck in the river when officers arrived. Numerous empty beer cans were in, on and around the car. The man succeeded in backing the truck out as officers approached but almost went off the side of the ramp as he did so.

The 30-year-old said he was trying to wash the truck. He said he'd had four beers and brought his young nephew along to have some fun. The nephew was in the front seat of the vehicle.

The man agreed to perform voluntary roadside tests and failed. He submitted to a breath test and was booked into jail for DUI and child abuse.

Up in smoke

On Aug. 14, a driver called deputies to report that three people in a car in front of her were smoking pot while driving on U.S. Highway 6 in Eagle-Vail. She said there was smoke coming out of the passenger window and she could smell marijuana.

Deputies contacted the suspect vehicle and its three occupants. The 27-year-old driver initially denied having any drugs or paraphernalia in the car, then handed over a resinated pipe. He was cited for possession of paraphernalia.

Brotherly assault

Vail Valley Medical Center contacted deputies about a 35-year-old man who was assaulted by his 41-year-old brother Aug. 14.

Outdoor guides on ATVs found the beaten, bloodied man on the side of the road and took him to the hospital.

The 35-year-old was intoxicated and told deputies he was at his family's cabin. There were unresolved issues in the family and he was reuniting with his brother, who recently got out of prison. He thought things were going well when his brother punched him unexpectedly on the side of the head and continued hitting him while he was on the ground. A male and female companion stopped the assault.

All four then got into a car and left the cabin. At one point, the 41-year-old told the woman to pull over on the road. He pulled the 35-year-old out of the car and beat him again. This time, the other man and woman joined the 41-year-old in beating the 35-year-old. They left him on the road, where he was found by the guides.

The 35-year-old refused to press charges against any of them. However, he had an arrest warrant out of Leadville and was taken to Lake County Jail to serve a 30-day sentence.

Woman assaults paramedics

Deputies were called to assist an intoxicated 29-year-old woman who was trying to drive away from a Gypsum restaurant on Aug. 14.

Officers found the woman stumbling around her car, repeatedly dropping items and picking them up. The woman said she'd had about 10 shots of alcohol and just wanted to go home. She alternated between thanking the deputies and cursing them. The officers requested an ambulance to check her out due to her ever-changing demeanor.

The woman pushed and insulted paramedics as they tried to help her. At that point she was put under arrest for assault and placed in the ambulance with handcuffs. She continued to kick, bite and spit at the paramedics.

She was checked at the hospital for possible head injuries and booked into jail for assault.

Too drunk to drive

Deputies investigated a car pulled over on the shoulder of westbound Interstate 70 near Wolcott on Aug. 15.

The car was dangerously close to the roadway and matched the description of earlier reports about a drunken driver weaving all over the highway. The officers could hear music playing loudly inside the enclosed vehicle as they approached it. A man was passed out in the driver's seat.

Deputies couldn't wake the man until they opened the door and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at one deputy and said, "I like you."

The 31-year-old said he was driving to Avon from Vail. He was very confused. He didn't know what time it was but thought he was in Avon.

He essentially refused voluntary roadside tests and submitted to a breath test. He was cited for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Abusing river access

Deputies were called to the Wolcott boat ramp on the Eagle River Aug. 18 after a man drove his truck into the river, headed upstream.

The truck was stuck in the river when officers arrived. Numerous empty beer cans were in, on and around the car. The man succeeded in backing the truck out as officers approached but almost went off the side of the ramp as he did so.

The 30-year-old said he was trying to wash the truck. He said he'd had four beers and brought his young nephew along to have some fun. The nephew was in the front seat of the vehicle.

The man agreed to perform voluntary roadside tests and failed. He submitted to a breath test and was booked into jail for DUI and child abuse.

Miscellaneous mischief

• A hydraulic gate controlling access to 100 acres of private property off U.S. Highway 24 near Eagle-Vail was broken on Aug. 10. A security camera recorded footage of a man pushing the gate open with a truck parked nearby. The damage is estimated to cost $3,000.

• About $400 worth or tools were stolen from the open bed of a pickup truck parked on Trail Gulch Road in Gypsum between Aug. 15-16.